Ulaanbaatar is the capital of Mongolia. It’s in the Tuul River valley, bordering the Bogd Khan Uul National Park. Originally a nomadic Buddhist center, it became a permanent site in the 18th century. Soviet control in the 20th century led to a religious purge. Soviet-era buildings, museums within surviving monasteries and a vibrant conjunction of traditional and 21st-century lifestyles typify the modern city. Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, 2015

Valley in the Alti Mountains, Western Mongolia, 2015.

Like other post-communist cities, much of the industry in Olgii closed down in the 1990s, though a large wool factory and many smaller animal related factories continue to process products from the 2 million animals in the Aimag. Olgii, Western Mongolia, 2015.